Nights are my favourite! Something magical unfolds. It is the dark, mesmerizing quiet that gets you thinking, Your emotions are heightened, your mind is at peace. It is away from all the early morning noise. It is soaking in the blissful silence and churning out words. I make it a point to write each night and night alone. The whole world is sleeping and I am only waking up.
I am no professional writer, but I hope to be one someday!

Monday, August 8, 2016

Of stories and sleep and really calling it a night.

Last night was terrible, sleep wise. One of those nights where you toss and turn and eventually just give up and start watching random TED videos. Last night, while I was going through one of those videos, I started dozing off and somewhere between TED and another random video, I fell asleep. I reflected back to how I got into the habit of ritualistically watching videos before I slept, to the point where the only way I could fall asleep was while reading or watching something. I can tell you, it doesn't matter what kind of day I've had, I read, I watch. Interestingly, I don't really listen to music. Music tends to wake me up.

Last night, I kept thinking, how did I become a person who depends on 'means' to fall asleep and almost like an instant reply, my brain popped the answer. I've always been that person. This isn't new at all. I was a baby, (my mother spoke to me even in the womb, I think) when I started listening to stories, each night had been about stories, by my entire family, mother then my grandmother; stories about animals, people, birds and God knows what else; I think there was even a story about a Mango tree who wants to walk.

I started sleeping away from my parents very quickly, at 4. May be. I loved sleeping with my grandmother, mostly because she used to wake up at 5am and I could too (I know, what a weirdo I was. Adult self, I am sorry). Few more years of cuddling up with Ajji, I moved to my big girl bed. I slept by myself, at about 7, I slept with a small doll by my side, grandma was my roomie at that point, so after one round from my mother's stories she'd take over, making sure I fell asleep and then she'd slide into her bed.

Years passed, I got my *own* room. A board that claimed 'My room, my mess is my business' proudly hung on the door. I had a massive bookshelf (okay, that was supposed to be my wardrobe, that I turned into a bookshelf), a computer sat by the bed and I was usually perched in front of it. Each night, I watched some or the other show, mostly FRIENDS and after my mum asked me to lower the volume (mom speak for 'shut down the computer'), I would pull out a book and start reading, there have been enough times where my mother has shut down the 'PC' and neatly set the book on the bedside table because I had somewhere between reading and watching, fallen asleep.

I moved cities and the habit of reading into the night continued with a small change, the Tube lights in the room would disturb my roomies, so I switched to watching shows into the wee hours of the morning, with the assurance that some of my roomies would ensure that I don't strangle myself on the headphone chord (an exaggerated claim, I say).

Marriage and after that, I thought, something would change, but no. I still need a little bit of storytelling to fall asleep. The little girl in me will never be okay going to sleep without a story. Nope. Stories keep me going. They put my imagination in overdrive and me asleep.

2 comments:

I prefer reading books on the Kindle, and it makes me drowsy enough to go to sleep. But if it's a book that has too much mystery and adventure, the whole purpose of reading gets defeated!When I was younger (than I am now), I used to often feel wide awake at bedtime. A trick my mom used to make me sleep? Read a textbook or write math formulae :D